Meet James Artissen

We recently connected with James Artissen and have shared our conversation below.

James , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I think I developed my confidence from people not believing in my vision as a young kid trying to figure out life, and wanting to be in the music business. Within all of the No’s verses yes’s I had to bet on myself, and create the confidence that I was as good or even better than my peers. Self esteem grew when I learned how other people dealt with pain, and trauma and I didn’t want to end up like them so I moved differently, and made my own way.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, and Audio Engineer from Queens, New York. I started pursuing music at the age of 16. During that time period I had the opportunity to meet the late great Michael Jackson at Webster Hall in New York City which inspired me to fully pursue a career in the music business. After that I moved to Atlanta, GA, and attended a music mentoring program in my high school where they provided a recording studio sponsored by Dallas Austin. My initial foray into music consisted of me learning the art of songwriting which later turned into music production shortly after. Growing up I was influenced by artists such as: A Tribe Called Quest, Whodini, Kanye West, Miguel, The Weeknd, and Pharrell Williams. While studying those artists I taught myself how to. To further my education I attended The Art Institute of Atlanta where I received a bachelor’s degree in audio production. This helped me begin working, and place work with mainstream acts, and songwriters. In 2017, I decided to transition from music production to artistry, and began recording myself. I joined a duo group named Kings X2, and we released our debut single “Wine For Me” in september of 2017. The single peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Hot Single Sales Chart for 5 weeks. Later in 2018 we disbanded, and I released my debut solo single “Move” which features the rap group Whodini. Following up to 2019 I released my anticipated EP “Blu Leisure” which became critically acclaimed upon its release. The project included guest appearances from: Tony Terry, Sonna Rele, Kalenna Harper, and Whodini. After its great success I released my sophomore EP “Kaleidoscopes”, and in 2023 I joined forces with rapper Big Gipp of the rap group Goodie Mob to release our collaborative EP “Gipp N Worthy”. The lead single “TOTW” peaked at #91 on the US Billboard R&B Digital Sales Chart also charting at the #1 position on the Amazon Best Sellers Chart. Within all of my work I have been nominated for several Grammy Awards by working with names such as: Meek Mill, Justin Bieber, Robin S., 112, Raphael Saadiq, and so many others to name. In 2024 I launched my own label imprint called Humble Sound Records in conjunction with Sony Orchard.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The top skills to me would have to Patience, Consistency, and Optimism. They all play different roles, but each are vital to my success. I encourage anyone to careful project your craft, but also take your time with it. It’s about the quality over the quantity.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Let me chase, and live my dreams.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Justin Kase
Humble Sound Music Group

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